The power of the Internet has caused many people to focus on it for their marketing efforts, leaving traditional media behind. Marketing data suggest, however, that those who focus marketing efforts on online efforts miss many potential customers. For example, 15% of consumers say that a newspaper ad would prompt them to make a purchase and 13% would respond similarly to a magazine advertisement.
9 Tips for Marketing Using Traditional Printed Media
1. Keep your ad focused and simple. A compelling printed advertisement will focus on one product. Trying to say too much in too little space gives your ad a cluttered, crammed-in look that discourages people from attempting to read it. By keeping your focus on one product or one proposition, you make your ad attractive to the eye and easy to read and understand.
2. Consider the online appeal of your ad. Because many newspapers and magazines replicate their content online, you get additional exposure for your marketing dollars. If your print media won’t allow you to design a separate advertisement for the web, make sure your printed ad is also designed to work well online.
3. Plan your print campaign. Carefully think about what you want your printed advertisements to accomplish before they enter the design or purchase stage. If you do not have a clear purpose for your ad, readers will not know what you want them to do. Therefore, develop a clear message and work to make it clear, concise, and memorable.
4. Avoid unnecessary restrictions. Longer text for your advertisement is good as long as you have the space for it and your ad does not look cramped or cluttered. Similarly, some studies suggest that longer headlines make your print advertising more effective.
5. Remember all options in print. Advertising in printed media includes more opportunities than newspapers and magazines. Find ways to use business cards, post cards, Post-It notes, and brochures in creative ways to get your message out.
6. Find out where your market is. There is no sense advertising your products for expecting mothers in a senior men’s magazine. Most media outlets have demographic information about their readers, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Even the best print campaign will be ineffective if you fail to reach an appropriate audience.
7. Track your results. You may be used to getting automated results from Google AdSense and other online marketing programs, but you can still track the effectiveness of print advertising. For years people have used different 800 numbers addresses, email addresses, and URLs to determine the advertisement that has prompted customer responses.
8. Get on a budget. If you spend too much on advertising space, you will have limited resources for design and production. By planning out how you will spend advertising dollars, you can make sure you have enough to cover every important factor.</li>
9. Choose the best placement. As with online advertising, print advertising is more effective depending on where your ad appears. For example, newspaper ads on the right page of an open newspaper attract more attention than those on the left. The newspaper knows this and will charge you more for that space, but you are more likely to get good results.
Print advertising continues to be a potent tool for the effective marketer. These 9 tips for marketing using traditional printed media will help guide you into an effective print campaign.
This is a guest post from James Adams who works as an in-house blogger for a leading online ink cartridges store where he analyses and reviews peripheral hardware like the HP 350XL. James also enjoys posting about art and design on their blog.
photo credit: Paul Blundell Photography
